Pressure regulator



5 Sheets-Sheet l June 10, 1952 N. PLANK PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed Jan. 24, 1949 lnveni'or: Norris Plank His Ai-for neg June 10, 1952 N. PLANK PRESSURE REGULATOR .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1949 2 me Q um we mm iv X m b 1v 9M 5 m .9 4w v 42 0% .mm mm Nm mw W f mm .m am I! Fig. '1

lnvenror-z Norris Plank His M-fiar'neq 3 Sheets-Sheei 3 Filed Jan. 24, 1949 @n! H: 5 Z

FO A. m0 m2 Fig.5

\nveni'or. Norris PlanK H15 Ai'i'orneug Patented June 10, 1952 1 This l'inventionrelates to tpressure regulators and -to pressure responsive fiow regulatorsagand pertains moreiparticularly to seli-energized-pres- *sure or fiowregulators for use-in icontrollingand maintaining predeterminedfor constant andpref- 1 erably substantially highsepressuresf and/or rates of flow in fluidwfi'ow lines. In-orderl to secure 5i close' and sensitive pressure! control pipe-:lines, "numerous typesof pilot operated pressure control -regulators havecbeen designed.

However; theilocation and operating. conditions of many fluid flow 1ines',=e. g; petroleum pipe lines, often render the use Of mOstwtypesof,-pressure regulators impractical and inadequate? In generaL 'these' regulators areoperated by pilot.-valv es-,.

--that' -are=a'ctuatedby an auxiliary pressure fluid, such as for example air; oil,- or anyother suitable fluid. Since 1 the :-'installation of: 1 an individual i pneumaticor iihydraulic system: at each "valve or re gulator in a cross-country pipe line Brita-5.150011% siderable expense.'and maintenance -it ispdesirable 'to installself energizedregulators, especially at the more isolated locations. These regulators m'ust be of ruggedconstruction andj possess smoothand stableoperation so, as to withstand and control high E'pressures and rates of-fiow,

e;- g.', 1000 p. s. i. and"1000g.ip.-m;, respectively. Most of the'present'self energized'pressure and flow "regulators .of the diaphragm type are only "designed to control'rela'tively low pressures and. rates-of -flow andwould be damaged or made inoperative by high pressures and especially by high pressure surges acrossthe main diaphragm unit.

It is therefore an object-of this invention to provide a pressure and fiow regulator'that is selfenergized in that its operation *is responsive to v and 'controlled'by the pressure-or-flow'in the fluid conduit and is independent of any auxiliary pneumatic or hydraulic control means.

It isalso an object of the present invention to provide a self-energized pressure and flow regulator of a simple and sturdy design foruse in pipe line systems handling high pressures or r'ates-of-fiow.

It is a further object of this-invention to provide a' self-energized pressure or flow regulator with stream-lined flow' course through a single- -seat ring and adapted to dampen and stop chatter or hammer of the mainvalve on its seat.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-energized pressure regulator of the diaphragm type which isresponsive to small differential between the pressures above and below the diaphragm of the regulator, the diaphragms of said regulator being adequately protected a ainstwrupture i permanent-distortion yi'higb ,'-?across :the 1 sti .iof;=-theabove-{mentionedicharacteristicswwherein th p lot valve actuating nsaid: regulator" is r retherpresent zinvention'connect V sback pressureservice. Eigurepzg-is another viewiofathe pressur I gulator diagrammatically showing it connected-to a P t aly ior int-fissureireducins servic @Fi r anp la or; w s? mmatic -asin e-se ted loti-valv 25 Referringto Figure- 110f" 7 e,drawing,, a; pressure regulator-oi the present invention is shown having a flangedhousing :Illadapted tobe'in- Stal-ledina fluid-flow line: diagrammatically indicated by dotted lines-at l2,- such-as :for example, a-petroleum' products pipe lineJ-w This installation may be effected by any desired means comprising, for example; elbows 1' l and 83 and flanges 84, 85, 86 "and 8 1 7 The housing Hl-has'a'fluidinlet port [3 and a-fiuid outlet port' ld with awpreferably beveled valve seat l5 formed around said fluid outlet port inside-said'housing; The-iopen top of the housing I0 is flanged,- whereby a flanged bonnet l6 may be secured thereto by bolts ll. Positioned in any -suitable--manner within the housing -l0-is a diaphragmcasing l8 having a guide "cylinder l9, preferably attached to or formed on the bottom of said casing. The guide cylinder 19 is sealed in afiuid-tight-manner within'the housing It! in-any suitable-manner as -by "a seal-ring-43. In'the embodiment 'of Figure 1-,-- the top of the diaphragm --casing =l8 hasa circular flange '20 that rests on a shoulder 2| in the housing-I0.

The main valve assembly comprises any suitable closure means such as a valve or-plug 23 mounted at thealower end' of a valve stem 24. which is in turn fixedly secured to a guide 'piston member 25 mounted for sliding movement within the guide cylinder 19. The-guide episton =25 I is substantially larger in diam'eter--than"valve port I4. Extending through the valve stem- 24 and plug 23 is a small fluid conduit or channel means 26 in communication between the downstream side of the valve plug 23 and the inside of the guide piston member 25. The guide piston member 25 is in the form of a hollow cylinder having a closed end 21, the opposite sides of which serve as the two faces of the piston.

The hollow piston member 25 contains a needle valve assembly therein for controlling fluid flow through the fluid conduit 26. This assembly comprises a valve stem 24, which may extend into the piston member 25. A valve seat nut 44 having an orifice 90 therethrough is threadedly secured to the extended end of said stem 24, said orifice being adapted to be closed by a small plug, or needle-type valve 28 secured to or formed at one end of a valve stem 29. The valve stem 29 is mounted for sliding movement in a bushing 30 positioned centrally of the diaphragm casing I8. 7 The diaphragm assembly comprises a central support plate 32 having raised flanges 33 and 34 upon which a pair of flexible diaphragms 35 and 36 may be positioned or secured in spaced relationship to said plate 32 so as to form fluid-tight chambers 37 and 38 on opposite sides thereof. The diaphragms 35 and 36 may be made of any flexible'material, such as for example, rubber, rubberized canvas, sheet metal, or the like, which may be secured in any suitable manner, as by cementing, soldering, etc., to the flanges 33 and 34. -In the embodiment of Figure 1, shoulders 39 and 40 are formed or machined in the bonnet I6 and diaphragm casing I8, respectively, so that when the bonnet I6 is bolted in place the upper diaphragm 35 is clamped between flange 33 and shoulder 39 while the lower diaphragm 36 is clamped between flange 34 and the adjacent shoulder 40.

Centrally located in a hole 4! in the center of the support plate 32 is a slidably mounted tubular dual valve stem 42. An annular space 49 between the outer wall of said tubular valve stem 42, and inner wall of valve port permits fluid to circulate from one side of the support plate 32 to the other. Secured to the ends of the valve stem 42 on opposite sides of said plate 32 and spaced therefrom are suitable valve-closure means, such as, for example, valve plates 45 and. 46, formed so as to fit tightly against the beveled valve seats 41 and 48 around the edges of the hole in the plate 32 when forced thereagainst. A more positive seal between the valves and their seats may be secured by the use of rubber ring seals 50 and I suitably secured to the valve plates. The distance between the attached valve plates 45 and 46 is preferably the same as the distance between the diaphragms 35 and 36 so that the valve plates normally contact their adjacent diaphragms when no pressures are applied to said diaphragms. Both chambers 31 and 3 8 of the diaphragm assembly are filled with any suitable clean fluid such as oil, said fluid being relatively incompressible, of a constant viscosity and having a low freezing point. The diaphragm assembly may be filled through one of the conduits 52 or 53 which are normally closed by valves 54 and 55.

A pair of diaphragm contact discs 3I and 56 are mounted at the ends of the valve stem 42, on the outside of said diaphragms 35 and 36, said discs being fixedly secured by lock nuts 92 and 93. Lock nut 93 may be equipped with a seal ring I02 or other suitable packing means to prevent 4 fluid in the valve from flowing along the outside of the valve stem 29 from one side of the diaphragm assembly to the other. In iace-to-face contact with the upper diaphragm contact disc 55 and movable therewith, is a spring plate as sembly comprising a spring plate 94 having fixedly attached to one side thereof coaxial tubular guide members 95 and 96, said member 96 An adjustable coupling nut '98 fixedly secures the threaded upper end of the valve stem 29 to the threaded end of tubular member 96 of the spring plate assembly. Lock nuts 99 and I00 may be used to maintain the coupling nut '98 in a fixed position. Thus, the coupling nut 98 provides convenient means for setting and re-setting the valve stem 29 and attached valve plug 28 in proper relation to other moving parts within the regulator without the necessity of dismantling the regulator during each setting.

surrounding the tubular guide member 96 and mounted between the inner surface of the bonnet I6 and the top surface of the spring plate '94 is a diaphragm compression spring 58 which maintains apredetermined pressure on the upper diaphragm 35 throughthe contact disc '56. The

adjustability of the valve stem 29 with regard to the spring assembly, through coupling nut 98 and tubular guide member 9 6, permits the spring assembly to be set so that the spring force is stopped or removed from the diaphragm 35 before the valve reaches its seat, thus allowing only a small pressure from below to unseat it again. One purpose of the spring '58 is to set up a minimum pressure differential across the re ulator (about 5 p. s. i.) which makes it normally possible at all times for the fluid to bleed from the bonnet chamber IOI into the pipe line I2 downstream of the main valve 23. If desired an adjustable diaphragm spring may be used. Thus,

a by adjusting the diaphragm spring 58 or by installing another spring having more or less compression, the differential pressure across the valve to be'maintained during operation may be set at any desired value.

Aflixed to the bonnet I6, as by welding, and surrounding the central opening 91 in the top thereof is a flange I03 to which a cap I04 is secured by bolts I05 in a fluid-tight manner. Preferably a guide plate I06 with a central hole I01 therethrough is clamped between said flange I03 and flanged cap I04 to serve as a guide for the movable valve stem 29 and the attached tubular member 96. A spring guide tube I08 may be afflxed to said guide plate I06 so as to extend into the bonnet I6.

The space 59 within the housing I0 is in communication with the space 60 Within the diaphragm casing I=8 through one or more ports 6|, while the space 60 is in communication with the space 62 inside the hollow piston 25 through a port' 63. The rate of fluid flow into the hollow piston 25 is controlled by the size of the restricted passageway 22.

In order to operate the present regulator,.it is necessary that the pressure fluid operating said regulator be admitted to and allowed to bleed from the bonnet chamber IOI of said regulator at aeo ovs a controlled rate. The pressure :fluid .for operating-said regulatormay be supplied through a pilot valve-64 (Fig. 1) or a restricted passageway H '(Fig. 3-) vvhile a pilot valve -64:0r HI (Figs. 1 and 3, respectively) may be used to bleed pressure fluid from the bonnet 16. A preferred arrangement shown in Figure 3 wherein the pressure fluid operating said regulator is supplied through a restricted passage such as anorifice, needle valve, or a length of tubing I I6 of reduced diameter. In conjunction with this restricted passage H6, a single-seated variable flow' pilot valve I'll is inserted in the bleedline Il2-l l3between the bonnet Hi and the downstream side of the regulator.

The pilot valve l-H- comprises a casing H4 hav ing two compartments H5 and 116 which are in communication through a valved port H! which may be closed by a valve 1 IS. The valve H8 is attached to avalve stem H9 which has 9. diaphragm disc 120 at its other-end in contact with a flexible diaphragm I21 that is secured across the valve casing H4. A compression spring 122 positions the diaphragm disc 126 against the diaphragm at all times. If desired, this spring [22 may be of "the adjustable type and thus be preset to control the desired operation of the pilot valve 11 l, and consequently the operation of the pressure'regulator to which it is connected.

Other embodiments of the present regulator are shown in Figures 1 and 2 utilizing a doubleseated pilot valve 64 which comprises a casing 65 having three compartments 66, 61 and 68 which may communicate with each other through ports 69 and HI. Positioned in the center compartment 61 is a valve H for closing either port 69 or 16, both of said ports being normally open when the valve H is positioned between them. The valve H is attached to a valve stem which has a diaphragm disc 12 at its other end incontact with a flexible diaphragm 13 that is secured across the valve casing 65. 'A compression spring 14 positions the diaphragm disc 12 against said diaphragm'at all times. If desired, this spring 14 may be of the adjustable type and thus be preset to control the desired operation of the pilot valve 64, and consequently the pressureregulator which it actuates.

The pivot valve 64 is shown diagrammatically as being connected to the flow regulator and to the fluid flow lines for two difierent operating conditions. In Figure l the conduits I5, 16, TI and I8 diagrammatically represent the connections necessary when the pressure regulator 'is being used for back pressure service, while the conduits 19, 80, 81 and 82 in Figure 2 diagrammatically represent the connections necessary when the pressure regulator is used in pressure reducing service.

To illustrate the use of the pressure regulator of the present invention, its operation when used in both back pressure service and pressure reducing service is described hereinbelow. In all instances all portions of the pressure regulator, with the exception of the diaphragm assembly, are filled with the fluid entering the regulator from the fluid pipe line l2. As hereinabove mentioned, the diaphragm assembly is filled with a separate fluid and is sealed so that none of this fluid can escape, thus forming an independent fluid system that is affected only when pressure is applied to either diaphragm 35 or 36. For example, when pressure is applied to the outer surface of the lower diaphragm 36, the pressure will bend the flexible diaphragm toward the central support plate 32 and the fluid in "the compartment: 38 between said-:diaphragm and said plate will be forced through the annular space-49 be: tween the tubular valve stem :42, ar d-plate 3 2-;into the other :compartm'ent 31:011- the oppositeside-of the plate 32, thus causing a corresponding movement of the upper diaphragm 35. Since the valve stem 42 is slidably mountedin the plate 32, it will also be moved with :the diaphragms-and 36' until the valve 46 contacts the valve-seat 48 thereby closing said valve 46 and preventing any more fluid from being forced through the annular space 49. Thus, when ,the valve 46 is closed, continued or increased pressure on .the lower diaphragm 36 .doesnot change the pressure against the upper diaphragm 35 which prevents rit .from being injured or damaged; the fluid. trapped between the lower diaphragm 36 and the plate 32 prevents rupture of said lower diaphragm. r

Since theannular space 49. between th-e tubular valve stem 42 and the plate 32 is relativelysmall in size, the flow .of fluid from one sideof the-diaphragm assembly to the other is restricted. Thus, any sudden pressure imparted to the lower diaphragm 3.6, such as that caused by the surging of a fluid through the regulator, is .damped by the action of the diaphragm "assembly so that the regulator .is not injured. While the diaphragm assembly is shown as having a valved orifice through the central support plate 32, it

is-clear that a similar dampingaction canbeobcompartments 3! and 38 on either side of said plate merely through :a small .orifice suchasan orifice .in the plate32 without any valve in .it. It is also clear that expansible bellows maybe usedsas equivalents of the flexible plate or rubber diaphrag s 35 and 36.

When a pressure regulator of the present invention has been installed in a fluid pipe line for back-pressure regulating service, that is, for regulating pressures in the pipe line upstream of the regulator, the flowing fluid enters the fluid inlet 13 .and fills 'all portions of the regulator housing 16. Fluid travels through the passageway 22 between theinner wallof-the guide cylinder [9 and the outer. wall of the piston 25 and thence through port .63 into the diaphragm -casing 18, thus subjecting the lower diaphragm 36 to the upstream pressure. Fluid enters the hollow piston 25 of the main valve assembly through passageway 22 so that whenthe needle valve 28 is closed upstream pressure is applied to both sides of the transverse plate element'21 of the piston 25 thus maintaining the main valve 23 ina fixed position.

There is also a flow of. fluid through the upstream control conduit lfifinto the lower chamber 68 of the pilot valve, through the open port 10 into the center chamber '61, out of said cham her through conduit 18 and into "the bonnet l6 of the regulator to supply upstream pressure to force, it depresses the diaphragm I3 and causes the pilot valve II to open port 69 between chambers 66 and 61 in the pilot valve, so that the pressure fluid in the bonnet I6 can flow through conduit I8, chambers 61 and 66 and conduit TI to themain flow line downstream from the main valve 26. I

As pressure fluid bleeds from the bonnet I6 suflicient to lower the pressure therein, say p. s. i. below the pressure in chamber '66 under the lower diaphragm 36, the force of the spring 58 is overcome and the diaphragms 35 and 36 are moved by the upstream pressure which is now applied only to the lower diaphragm 36. The force exerted on diaphragm 36 causes the needle valve 28 and its stem 29 to follow the diaphragm movement which in turn causes valve 28 to move off its seat allowing fluid inside the hollow piston 25 to flow through the orifice 99 and conduit 26 in the stem 24 of the main valve 23 to the downstream side thereof. Since the regulator preferably has a needle valve orifice 99 larger than the passageway 22 leading into the chamber 62, the flow rate through the needle valve exceeds the flow rate of upstream pressure fluid entering the piston chamber 62 inside the hollow piston 25 thus causing the pressure inside said piston to be reduced below the pressure acting on the outside of said piston 25. With such a pressure difierential existing, and since the piston has greater area than the valve port I4, the greater upstream pressure acting against the outside face of said piston 25 will cause the piston to slide upward in its guide cylinder I9 thus opening the main valve 23, or, if said main valve had been adjusted to permit a certain rate of flow, moving it to a more open position. The piston '25 moves upward until it approaches the seating position of the needle valve 28. In operation, the piston 25 and the main valve 23 follow the motion of the needle valve very closely.

When the upstream pressure decreases and returns to normal the pre-set pilot valve spring I4 returns the pilot valve II to its normal position, opening fluid port I9 and allowing an upstream pressure fluid flow tothe bonnet I6 which depresses the diaphragms 35 and 36 to move the main valve 23 again toward a closed position.

In reduced pressure service, that is, for regulating pressures downstream of the regulator, the pilot valve is connected to the pressure regulator as shown in Figure 2. In this case a downstream pressure line I9 is connected to the pilot valve casing 65 to supply the actuating pressure to the diaphragm I3. With the connections as shown in Figure 2 and assuming, for example, that the pressure on the downstream side of the main valve 23 becomes reduced below a predetermined value, the pressure above pilot valve diaphragm I3 also becomes reduced, thus allowing the diaphragm spring to raise the valve II, opening port I0, whereby the fluid in the bonnet I6 bleeds through conduit 8|, chamber 61, port I0, chamber 68 and conduit 80 to the downstream side of the main valve. The removal of fluid pressure from the bonnet I6 allows the diaphragms 35 and 36 to be flexed upwardly by the upstream pressure, thus opening the needle valve 28 and the main valve 23 in the previously-described manner, and thereby raising the pressure in the downstream portion of the pipe line. When the pressure forces on either side of the main diaphragm assembly reach the proper balance, the main diaphragm spring 58 causes the main valve 23 8 to close or'throttle to maintain the downstream pressure at the'desired predetermined value.

When the preferred embodiment of the present pressure regulator, illustrated in Figure 3, is installed in a fluid pipe line for back-pressure regulating service, the flowing fluid fills all portions of the regulator housing ID, as previously described. There is also a flow of fluid through an upstream control conduit I30 and through the restricted passage III] into the bonnet chamber ll of the regulator to supply upstream pressure to the upper diaphragm 35.

- Upstream pressure is also applied to the pilot valve diaphragm I2I through conduits I30 and I3], the spring I22 of said pilot valve being preset to oppose a certain upstream pressure. When the upstream pressure against the pilot valve diaphragm I3 increases sufficiently to overcome the force of the spring I22, it depresses the diaphragm I2I and causes the pilot valve I I8 to open port II'I between chambers H5 and H6 in the pilot valve so that the pressure fluid in the bonnet I6 is allowed to flow through conduit II2, chamhers H6 and H5 and conduit II3 to the main flow line I2 downstream from the regulator.

As the pressure fluid bleeds from the bonnet I6, the diaphragms 35 and 36 and the attached valve stem 29 are moved upward by the upstream pressure which is applied against the lower diaphragm 36 and the main valve is opened in a manner previously described with regard to the embodiment of Figure 1. When the upstream pressure decreases and returns to normal, the pre-set pilot valve spring I22 moves the pilot valve IIB to a more closed position to decrease the flow of pressure fluid bleeding from the bonnet I6. The flow of upstream pressure fluid to the bonnet I6 through the restricted passageway I I9 causes the diaphragm 35 and attached valve stem 29 to move the main valve again toward a more closed position. Thus, in this embodiment the singleseated pilot valve III in the bleed line II2-I I3 operates to vary the bleed stream from the bonnet I6 in relation to the fixed feed stream rate through the restricted passageway III! to produce the pressure required for operation of the regulator.

While the present pressure regulator has been described as utilizing single or double-seated pilot valves actuated by fluid pressure from the main pipe lines, it is realized that any other suitable type of pilot valve may be employed, such as, for example, pilot valves operated by independent hydraulic, electrical or mechanical means.

It is to be noted that in the preferred embodiment of the present regulator the needle-valve stem 29, coupling nut 96, guide members 96 and 95, spring plate 94 and spring 58 are fastened together as a unit and are free to move upward without carrying with it the diaphragm assembly comprising diaphragms 35 and 36, plates 3I, 45, 46 and 56, and valve stem 42. Thus, in the event a sudden back-flow of liquid in line l2 forces the main valve 23 open, the valve stem 29, spring 58 and spring guide assembly are forced upwardly so that spring plate 94 is out of contact with contact plate 56 of the diaphragm assembly, which in turn slowly rises as the diaphragm 35 returns to its normal position. Any possible buckling of the valve stem 29 and/or rupturing of diaphragm 36 by a sudden back-flow of fluid is thus prevented.

The force of the spring 58 is utilized for two purposes. First, it provdies positive mechanical force to return the main valve 23 to its seat I5 from any open position, and second, it provides 9.1 mechanical force; on toptoiithediaphragm unit to counterbalance a predetermined fluid pressure force on the bottom of the diaphragm unit; However, the downward travel of the spring 58 and the spring guideassembly is preferably limited so that the compression force of said spring 53 is, removed from the upper diaphragm 35 before theadjacent. valve plate 55 contacts its seat 4'! else. anabnormally high pressure on the lower diaphragm 36 is needed to subsequently unseat the valve again.

' I claim as my invention:

1. In a pipe line pressure regulator; a main valve housing, diaphragm means dividing said housing into two chambers, conduit means in communication between the first chamber and the pipe line upstream and downstream of the valve housing for supplying to and draining from said first chamber pressure fluid from the pipe line, pressure responsive valve means in said conduit means, inlet and outlet means connecting the second chamber to the upstream and downstream portions of the pipe line respectively, a valve member in said second chamber adapted to close the outlet means, piston means in said second chamber coaxially spaced from said diaphragm means, said piston means being rigidly connected to said valve member for reciprocating said valve member with regard to the outlet means, one side of said piston means being directly exposed to the upstream pressure of the pipe line, passage means within said second chamber for admitting the upstream pressure at all times to the space between said diaphragm means and the other side of said piston means, channel means through said valve member in communication between said space and the downstream portion of the pipe line, and auxiliary valve means controlling the flow through said channel means in said valve member and movable therewith, said auxiliary valve means being actuated by said diaphragm means to control the fluid flow through said channel means, said diaphragm means comprising two spaced diaphragms, rigid plate means parallel to said diaphragm dividing the space therebetween into two fiuidtight chambers adapted to contain a pressure fluid, orifice means through said plate means in communication between said fiuidtight chambers, and valve means for closing said orifice means when the diaphragms are subjected to high pressure surges.

2. In a pipe line pressure regulator a main valve housing, diaphragm means dividing said housing into two chambers, conduit means in communication between the first chamber and the pipe line upstream and. downstream of the valve housing for supplying to and draining from said first chamber pressure fluid from the pipe line, pressure responsive valve means in said conduit means, inlet and outlet means connecting the second chamber to the upstream and downstream portions of the pipe line respectively, a valve member in said second chamber adapted to close the outlet means, piston means in said second chamber coaxially spaced from said diaphragm means, said piston means being rigidly connected to said valve member for reciprocating said valve member with regard to the outlet means, one side of said piston means being directly exposed to the upstream pressure of the pipe line, passage means within said second chamber for admitting the upstream pressure at all times to the space between said diaphragm m ans a d he othe s dee a d p s o mean ha nel mea s throng-i sa d a e member cemm nica etween-s idspa dth downstreampo ion of he pi ine nd u ilia valve mea s ontro in the-flow t ou h aid cha ne means ns a-id alve-membe nd m able he e asa d a xi a y va v m ans e nea t d b sa d d ap a m mea s on o h d flow thr h a d chann l m ans s d phragm means comprising a cylindrical vdiaph a m a n h vin pe e xib e d ap a m c os n sa d o n ends. ansver .plate means dividing said easing into two fluid tight chambers, said chambers being filled with a liquid, orifice means through said plate means in communication between said chambers, rigid spacing means between said diaphragms slidably mounted in said orifice means, whereby said diaphragms are caused to move in unison in re sponse to a diiferential pressure applied thereto, valve means carried on said rigid spacing means for closing said orifice means when the diaphragms are subjected to high surge pressures, and normally closed conduit means in said casing for introducing a liquid thereinto.

3. In a pipe line pressure regulator a main valve housing, diaphragm means dividing said housing into two chambers, conduit means in communication between the first chamber and the pipe line upstream and downstream of the valve housing for supplying to and draining from said first chamber pressure fluid from the pipe line, pressure responsive valve means in said conduit means, inlet and outlet means connecting the second chamber to the upstream and downstream portions of the pipe line respectively, a valve member in said second chamber adapted toclose the outlet means, piston means in said second chamber coaxially spaced from said diaphragm means, said piston means being rigidly connected to said valve member for reciprocating said valve member with regard to the outlet means, one side of said piston means being directly exposed to the upstream pressure of the pipe line, passage means within said second chamber for admitting the upstream pressure at all times to the space between said diaphragm means and the other side of said piston means, channel means through said valve member in communication between said space and the downstream portion of the pipe line, and auxiliary valve means controlling the flow through said channel means in said valve member and movable therewith, said auxiliary valve means being actuated by said diaphragm means to control the fluid flow through said channel means, said diaphragm means comprising a diaphragm casing having open ends, flexible diaphragms closing said open ends, transverse plate means dividing said casing into two fluidtight chambers, said chambers being filled with a liquid, orifice means through said plate means in communication between said chambers, rigid spacing means between said diaphragms slidably mounted in said orifice means causing said diaphragms to move in unison in response to a difierential pressure applied thereto, valve means carried on said rigid spacing means for closing said orifice means when the diaphragms are subjected to excessive pressures, and normally closed conduit means in said casing for introducing a liquid thereinto, said pressure responsive valve means comprising a ilot valve housing, fluidtight diaphragm means in said housing, conduit means for applying pipe line pressures to the space within said housing to 1 1 one side of said diaphragm, spring means braced against the other side of said diaphragm in opposition to said pipe line pressures, first and second valve compartments within said housing, orifice means in communication between said valve 5 compartments, conduit means in communication between said first valve compartment and the first chamber of the main valve, conduit means in communication between the second valve compartment and the downstream portion of the pipe line, and valve means actuated by said diaphragm means for closing the orifice means between'said compartments.

NORRIS PLANK.

12 REFERENCES crrnn The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 231,214 Curtis Aug. 1'7, 1880 934,083 Mills Sept. 14, 1909 1,357,837 Bouvier Mar. 2, 1920 1,925,301 Campbell Sept. 5, 1933 2,047,581 Gissett July 14, 1936 2,351,871 Parker June 20, 1944 2,400,048 Jones May '7, 1946 

